BEYOND THE UNICORN: JEPPE RINDOM ON THE COST OF BUILDING SOMETHING THAT MATTERS
In our very first episode of the GSA Stars Podcast: Down the Rabbit Hole, we sit down with Jeppe Rindom, the CEO and Co-founder of Pleo, for a conversation that moves far beyond metrics and milestones.
What we found was a reflection on what it really means to build something - from scratch, with people you care about, and with a mission that constantly evolves.
THE LISBON MOMENT
At one point, Jeppe shares a story about returning from a trip to Lisbon.
What he describes isn’t a product update or a market win but something much quieter: a sense of pride he hadn’t really shared too explicitly before about the community they’d built in a five-floor office full of ambitious people who chose to uproot their lives to grow together.
There’s a reason this story sticks. It says something about how meaning shifts over time, and how the “why” behind a startup changes as the company grows.
THE WEIGHT OF VISION
Jeppe also opens up about the silent pressure that comes with venture capital. Not just the responsibility to grow, but to keep growing.
The one-way street that begins when you take that first term sheet. And how that sense of accountability becomes a quiet, consistent force that shapes every decision, even the personal ones.
THE LONELINESS OF LEADERSHIP
In perhaps the most vulnerable part of the episode, Jeppe also reflects on the emotional cost of building deep relationships that, by nature, have an expiration date.
When team members leave, either by choice or by necessity - it hurts. Because unlike corporate setups, startup teams are bound by shared dreams, risk, and proximity. You don’t just work together - you build something together.
But, as Jeppe puts it, “Nothing is ever permanent.” And that truth, while difficult, becomes a part of the founder journey too.
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN
This isn’t a startup origin story in the usual sense. It’s not about how to raise capital or scale internationally.
It’s about the in-between moments: the doubts before the first product, the loss of a co-founder early on, the questions you ask yourself late in the game - when you’ve "made it," but still wonder what it’s all really for.
This episode is for anyone building something, thinking about starting something, or reflecting on what they’ve already built.
It’s a rare window into the mind of a founder who, despite everything, remains deeply human in how he sees success, purpose, and people.
